


The Pact

by thesalmondean



Series: Interludes [7]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aaron Dingle - mentions, Gen, Robert Sugden - mentions, scar mentions, self-harm mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 06:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8478847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesalmondean/pseuds/thesalmondean
Summary: Liv and Chas have a conversation on the drive home after Aaron nearly dies in the hospital.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place between the Chas, Liv, Aaron, Robert scenes on Friday October 21 and Monday October 24 2016.

Liv stared out the window into the black night. Distant lights dotted the landscape indicating the homes and farms between Hotten and Emmerdale. The road was quiet - there were few cars which suited Liv just fine.

Turning she cast a brief glance to Chas before resuming her stare out the window. The interior lights of the car offered enough illumination that if she tried hard enough, she could see her own reflection in the window. Liv relaxed her eyes and stared past the reflection of herself to watch the looming, shadowy trees along the roadside fly by as they headed home.

She was exhausted; the trauma of the day had worn her down to nothing; a raw wound of emotional vulnerability. She hadn't realized how much she grown to love her brother, and Robert, until Chas had burst into her room in a panic, telling her there'd been an accident and Aaron was in hospital. Maths immediately abandoned and forgotten, Liv had leapt from her bed and they were out the door of the pub, headed for Hotten General and for one of the longest nights of Liv's life. There had been no hello shared, or questions about Chas's visit with Belle. It was all about getting to Aaron as quickly as possible.

She'd felt oddly apart from the others when they'd first arrived, and then when Robert had jumped up and left suddenly, Vic had tried to comfort her as she cried quiet tears. When Chas had returned (with no updated information - to everyone's dismay), Adam and Vic had left to check on James. So Liv and Chas had sat with each other quietly, exchanging glances and taking turns having a bit of a cry and sniffling into the quiet of the room.

When Robert had stumbled back into the waiting room an hour later, Liv had heaved a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath the whole time he'd been gone. She wasn't sure why she'd reacted that way; maybe she'd been scared he wouldn't come back? 

Then, when he'd pulled out the ring and Liv realized he'd gone back to the crashed to get it, she felt a moment of blind fear and panic, followed closely by admiration and adoration. It was only further affirmation of what she already knew, that Robert loved her brother more than anything else.

And a wedding! She'd smiled with Chas and Robert, and teased him about drinking from a welly, but Liv was largely cautiously excited. She was unable to fully embrace the thought until she knew Aaron was going to be okay. And then seemingly they were there, standing over his bed, all of them crying and happy because he'd said yes!

Liv smiled out into the darkness at the memory; replaying the moment Robert slipped the ring onto Aaron's finger...

That was when Liv saw them. It was only for a moment, but there, in glaring ugly red, were the scars.

She knew about them of course, from the trial. She'd heard tell, but she'd never seen them. Aaron always wore long sleeves and even in the middle of summer when he'd be chucking metal about at the scrapyard he wouldn't show any skin. More than once Liv had wanted to ask him why he didn't wear short sleeves but then she'd remember and all the mess from months back would rush in and her heart would break again. He never talked about that stuff - those days, or hurting himself, or if he would even do it again someday, and it bothered Liv. She felt like Aaron and Robert and Chas were all in on a family secret, Liv felt excluded. And it wasn't like she wanted to know the details of it - she just needed someone to talk to her about it. To tell her it wouldn't happen again. That Aaron wouldn't hurt himself again so badly he'd nearly die of infection.

Liv chewed her lower lip, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt as she slowly turned to face forward. The fog that had descended earlier in the day - the fog that had been part of the cause of the massive wreck - had cleared and the night was clear. The headlights of their car cut bright and long into the distance.

"Chas?"

"Hmmmm?"

"That scar on Aaron's arm," Liv paused, noticing out of the corner of her eye the slight change in Chas' posture, "was that the one he almost died from?"

For a moment Liv didn't think she was going to respond, but she did, her voice slightly shaky.

"Yeah, love. That was the one."

Liv rolled her lips into her mouth and looked out the side window once again. 

Robert had saved him then, too. Two times now. Maybe more times Liv didn't even know about.

"Why would he do that himself?" Liv asked, turning back to Chas. She knew the why....but she couldn't understand the how. She couldn't fathom why her brother would hurt himself so badly he'd get an infection and almost die.

"Well, love, some people hurt those around them when they're hurting inside," Chas looked at Liv and offered a tiny smile before looking back at the road, "and some people turn that hurt they feel back on themselves."

Liv considered this, reconciling this behavior with the brother she knew. It made perfect sense. When Liv thought back to how Aaron was with her before and during the trial, she could see it. It was there in every interaction he had with her. 

"Aaron would hurt himself before he'd hurt anyone else. Like you, or me," Chas added.

"Robert," Liv added and Chas nodded and offered what looked to be a reassuring smile.

"He won't do it again, will he?" Liv asked a moment later.

"I dunno. I hope not. That what you, and me, and Robert are here for," she nodded, staring at the road before them.

Liv saw the sign for Emmerdale appear in the glow of the headlights as Chas slowed down. They were nearly home.

"And Paddy?" she added and Chas gave a soft laugh.

"Yeah. We all watch out for him, and let him know we're here to talk to if things get rough. But I don't think things will get rough like they were before."

"Like with my dad," Liv sighed, watching Chas's lips form a frown.

"Yeah," she finally added as she turned off the road and cruised slowly down the main street towards the pub. There were a few outdoor lights on but otherwise the village was dark and quiet.

"Chas?"

"Yes, love?" Chas steered the car round to the back of the pub and parked.

"We need to make sure Aaron is happy," Liv unbuckled her safety belt as Chas turned off the ignition and they were plunged into a gray darkness.

"Always," Chas replied, turning to face Liv.

"We should throw a big party or something," Liv said and Chas grinned.

"He'd hate that," Liv added and she matched Chas's grin, the joy of embarrassing Aaron like that almost too much to bear - especially after the scare they'd just lived through.

"We should do everything we can to embarrass him," Liv laughed, suddenly excited to decorate his bedroom, or slide fancy wedding magazines under his door day and night.

"Alright," Chas nodded, "let's see how he feels when he's released, and maybe we can plan something."

"But we still need to embarrass him, party or no," Liv nodded and Chas grinned.

"Right. It's a deal," she stuck out her hand and Liv gripped it, "operation embarrass Aaron underway!"


End file.
